


YoRHuman (working title)

by 017Bluefield



Category: NieR: Automata (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Awkward Situation, Gen, Running Errands, SUBJECT TO CHANGE, Spoilers, Unbuilt Pedestal, Working title, broken pedestal
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-01
Updated: 2018-10-29
Packaged: 2018-12-21 16:09:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,269
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11947824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/017Bluefield/pseuds/017Bluefield
Summary: "Yes, I am."----Spoilers for the original game.AU, in which androids and humans both exist on a recovering Earth. Contents are subject to change.





	1. More Arrivals

* * *

_Theoretically speaking, YoRHa was created to serve mankind._

_So, what happens when YoRHa androids exist in a world where the humans—their creators, quote unquote—are around?_

* * *

9S didn't know what to expect.

The town wasn't exactly bustling, but for a settlement in the fields, one could do much worse. Everywhere he looked, someone—a human—was either doing something mundane or nothing much in particular. The market street was lined with vendors behind wooden tables, selling wares of various shapes and sizes; some edible, others less so. Children in the town square ran around chasing stray balls or splashing in the fountain. A lot of people were idling or walking by—some alone, some talking with others.

All in all, a fairly idyllic place.

The only thing ruining the scene was the occasional YoRHa uniform amongst the civilians.

"Looks like the others made contact," he said, half to himself.

Beside him, 2B looked around. "Hm."

They were both standing past the entrance into town, off to the side for the humans' convenience. They might be androids built for combat, but there were still three laws they would adhere to. And besides, they weren't rude.

From her shoulder, Pod 042 piped up. **"Analysis: this is the settlement known as 'Middleton'. Population: human."**

"You don't say?" 9S could almost hear 2B smirking at her support unit's observation. "So, our contact is somewhere around here."

9S responded, "Yeah. But, where could he be? There's about a hundred people here!"

From behind him, 9S heard Pod 153 chirped,  **"Proposal: Units 9S and 2B should ask the Middleton residents for directions to the individual known as Captain Amos."**

That name again. "Not a bad idea, Pod," 9S replied. He turned to his partner. "2B?"

2B glanced back towards the humans ahead. One of the YoRHa was showing her lance to a group of children, who were looking on in awe and rapture. The same could _not_ be entirely true for the group of older humans behind them, looking on in amusement or wariness. The android herself was clearly enjoying the attention, but not enough to try anything reckless. Like tossing the lance up to catch it.

"Mama, mama!" One girl exclaimed, jumping up and down opposite the sight. "I wanna see the cool robot lady! Can I, mama? _Pleeeease?_ "

The human who was with her—presumably her "mama"—looked at the YoRHa displaying her lance and hesitated. "Well…all right," she eventually decide. "But make sure you stick with me when you talk to her. We clear on that, young lady?"

"Yes, mama!"

2B _hmm_ -ed again as the parent-and-child duo waddled over. "No strangers to androids at all, huh…?" She turned to her partner. "I somehow doubt this 'Amos' will go out of his way to find us."

9S shrugged. "Well, Anemone only told him to expect two androids. What he does about that's his business."

* * *


	2. Weirdo and the Captain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which 2B and 9S meet some of the Middleton Militia's quirky members.

_It had started with the Poets, or, so it's said._

_While the Machine Wars raged on, the humans were quick to hole up, dig into "safe zones". They got on that way surprisingly well, in the long run—it certainly went better than a mass exodus to the Moon ever could have._

_But curiously, none of the androids seemed to think that._

_In fact, they didn't know that the humans they had sworn to protect...were standing right beside them._

_(There's also the matter of the machines, but_ that's _another story.)_

_Eventually, a hacker came across unsecured documents that held the purpose of these wars: to perpetuate a cycle of life and death with artificial lifeforms. One of futile, never-ending struggle._

_The hacker disagreed with this. Strongly. And it wasn't the matter of their people being displaced for it, either._

_Regardless of their motives, it was soon after that the "Poets of the Code" were formed. Their aim: find a way to bring this cycle to a grinding halt._

* * *

They spotted it weathering the last of a passing raincloud.

The building stood at the edge of town: a squat, dilapidated two-story thing that might've been a post office or some such. The plaque over the door had rotted away; in its place was a crudely-carved wooden sign fastened up with ropes and nails.

####  _MIDDLETON MILITIA BASE_

_Well,_ 9S thought as he and 2B approached, _it's nothing like the camp._

* * *

"Whoa, 'ey, 'ey— _stop walking!_ "

The voice wasn't what startled 9S; he'd already deduced which militiaman had spoken. It was the door guard, a glacier of a man with a yellow bandana tied to his upper arm.

No, what had startled the Scanner was the man's tone of voice. It wasn't anger; it was—

 _"Nonononono...!"_ Already running, the guard slid onto his knees in front of the two androids. Then, with thumb and index finger out, he reached down…and _gingerly_ plucked the snail off the stones, centimeters from 2B's boots…then set the small critter onto the flora on the side of the walkway.

Safe from getting stepped on.

Once he retracted his vacant hand, the guard sat up and exhaled. "Hoo~, bit close fer comfort." Back on his feet, the man adjusted his bandana before turning to the two YoRHa androids, and 9S found himself squirming under the glacier's gaze.

"Sooo…what brings you 'n' your floaty-box friends here?" the glacier started. "Don't think I've seen either of you before."

2B stepped forward, left hand snapping over her chest. 9S instinctively followed suit. "Anemone received a request for assistance from the militia here in Middleton," 2B explained. "Sender was one 'Captain Amos'."

The glacier blinked, taken aback by these android's behavior. "Oh! um… the Captain's takin' care of sum'thin' at the mo'. But he's no slouch, no ma'am; he should be—"

"Right behind you," croaked a voice from past the YoRHa units.

2B and 9S spun around in surprise. The glacier brightened up. "'ey, there 'e is!"

Captain Amos rolled his good eye. "Haven't been gone _that_ long, Iggy. I take it you introduced yourself to these guys?"

"Nope, not yet."

9S took that time to compose himself. "Uh… S-So, I take it you're the captain of this town's militia?"

The old man shrugged one shoulder. "Eh, yeah. Or, so folks here have declared me, knighted me, or…is it appointed? Ah, right, _appointed_ me. No knighthood here, 'm afraid. So apologies if I—hm…?"

9S followed the Captain's stare towards 2B's face. "…Sir?"

The glacier—Iggy—shifted, feeling left out. Again. 2B, for her part, didn't respond besides observing this old man seemingly scrutinizing her nose.

After a moment, the Captain put two and two together and finally leaned away. "Oh—sorry about that. Ahem… The name's Captain Amos Wicksley. I'll take 'Cap', 'Captain', or 'Captain Amos'. You've already met our sentry Igor here. And speaking of…who might you four be? What're your names?"

Immediately, they responded.

"2B. Formerly of YoRHa."

**_"Ex-YoRHa support unit Pod 042."_ **

"I'm 9S. Also…formerly of YoRHa."

**_"Ex-YoRHa support unit Pos 153."_ **

Amos nodded at each name, with a trace of _oh great, more of this self-dehumanizing BS_ in his face. But he evidently decided not to dwell on that. "Well, glad to know that Anemone trusts you four to help us out here. Let's head inside, fill you in on what's up in our little corner of home."

"All right." "Understood."

"Okay. …Oh—and Iggy?"

"Yeah, Captain?"

"Great job with that snail. You deserve extra bread tonight."

"Yeah! I mean—I don't need the bread, but thanks anyways!"

9S and 2B shared glances before following Amos inside.

And they'd once thought that androids and machines were weird.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think Amos and the Middleton militia need help with?

**Author's Note:**

> I'm still working out the details of this…thing, so it's subject to change. Which is unfortunate, but ideas need refining, right?


End file.
